Almost a fifth of graduates trainees would rather be working for another
employer, according to a new survey.

More than half of new graduate recruits plan to leave their current role within two years, with two fifths hoping to find a new job in the next 12 months, the study found. Some 16pc want to switch roles immediately, despite the rocky jobs market and fierce competition for jobs.

Graduates said their top three interests were challenging work, a high salary and career progression, the survey of 1,900 graduates and managers published by the Institute of Leadership and Management found.

More than half of graduates expect to be appointed to a management role within three years of starting work, the study revealed. At least one in 10 believe they will be promoted to a management position within a year of their first job.

The study shows a growing disconnect between the ambition of today's graduates compared with the reality of the marketplace. Recent research from the Association of Graduate Recruiters found a record 83 graduates were applying for each job going. Employers have become increasingly picky about who they take on and highly-qualified graduates with little or no work experience are becoming increasingly overlooked in favour of skilled workers who can prove they have sought-after expertise.

University leavers who believe they should be promoted into a management role so soon after starting work are misjudging the state of the labour market, experts warned.

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Kai Peters, chief executive of Ashridge Business School, which conducted the survey, said: “To succeed in an increasingly challenging economic environment, organisations must harness the best efforts of all their employees – not least their graduate recruits who will become the leaders and managers of the future.

"By bridging the gap between what graduates expect and what organisations provide, employers can pave the way for both better graduate recruitment and retention, and a more productive working relationship between graduates and their bosses.”

Penny de Valk, chief executive of the ILM, said: "A widespread desire among graduates to move on within a few years undermines efforts to manage talent effectively and promote the long term success of the organisation.”